The Long Awaited Frownie Brownie

It was pointed out to me (thanks Beth) that I never posted a picture of the beloved Frownie Brownies from King's Restaurant. How tragic! Well, my stalking friends, your wait is over.

Happy Birthday Papa Ralph!

We were able to celebrate Ralph's birthday with him this year. Kathy cooked a nice meal, then we ate yummy spice cake (his favorite). The boys love being able to sing "Happy Birthday", especially to someone they love so much. Happy Birthday Ralph!

Myrtle Beach

Chris's mom and step-dad were gracious enough to let us vacation with them this year in North Myrtle Beach (Cherry Grove). We had an incredible time.

I am very proud of the boys for how well they behaved on the trip down and back. They enjoyed playing with their cool new toys and watching movies. We stopped half-way both times and were able to relax for a while.


We had a great time playing on the beach and in the water in spite of the crabs and sting-rays. The boys also enjoyed flying kites and collecting sea shells.

The beach was amazing in Cherry Grove. We could go way out into the ocean and still the water was only up to our knees. It weirded me out.









Can you believe that is Chris, his mom, and the boys way out there in the center of the above picture?? Shark Bait!




We were spoiled by eating out every night, but Preston's was my favorite.

On Thursday, Chris gave me the night off and I was able to sit on the beach while the sun set. It was very relaxing and refreshing. I decided right then that we needed to own a beach house...

There's just something about listening to the waves hit the beach, smelling the salt water, and feeling the breeze. I love it!

Randomness (Is That A Word?)

Our friend Ian came to visit and spend the night a couple of weeks ago. His family recently moved to Buffalo, but the boys picked up right where they left off. They love playing Power Rangers.

This was a rare picture that the boys actually called me in and asked me to take. It makes me feel so good when they get along and actually seem like they love each other.


The boys have hopes of becoming the next Guitar Hero champions...Actually, this was the first and last time they played the game. It is way too advanced for me, let alone them!

Drew has a unique sense of style when it comes to his socks. There are times when I ask him to go put on a pair, and he comes down with long winter socks. For the life of me I cannot get him to change. I have decided that the sock battle is not worth winning...besides, I think he looks cute! If you can't tell, those socks have Batman on them.

Thanks for sharing in some random pictures of my boys...

Up next: Myrtle Beach

Wedding Bells and Frownie Brownies

We recently headed down to South-Eastern Ohio and West Virginia for Chris's step-brother's wedding. They had a very small family ceremony and dinner reception. We enjoyed seeing everyone and the wedding was very nice.




The highlight of our trip was a stop at King's Family Restaurant (between the ceremony and reception), home of the Frownie Brownie. I was a bit skeptical at first because it was attached to a truck stop, but was pleasantly surprised. I think it was similar to a Friendly's or Bob Evans. We enjoyed the food, especially the Frownie Brownies. The tag line for the brownies is "we make a mean dessert." Chris even bought a Frownie Brownie t-shirt. I have thought about checking on-line to see where the closest King's is to us, but have yet do so. We recommend them!

Play Time

I love days that we are able to play together as a family in our yard.

Chasing the Ice Cream Truck

We have conditioned ourselves to drop everything each time we hear the ice cream truck. The boys love flagging it down and picking out a special treat. We have even chased it in our car. It's always a mad rush to find it before it's too late.


Don't worry, we don't let them get a treat every time...

Happy Birthday Drew!

We had a lot of fun celebrating Drew's 3rd birthday. On his actual birthday, Chris took the day off and we headed to the Akron zoo. We made an unexpected pit-stop at White Castle and officially introduced the boys to the "slider" sandwich. In spite of the hot weather (and our lunch) we had a nice time at the zoo. The boys (all three of them) never tire of looking at the animals.







After the zoo, we headed home to take a nap to be ready for the big birthday dinner. Drew chose Pancho's (a mom and pop place here in town) as his restaurant of choice. They even brought him out fried ice cream and sang to him. He felt very special. We headed back to my parents' house after dinner to have a mini-birthday celebration for Drew.

Both boys love sitting on this over-sized chair. I can remember sitting on it when I was a kid, too. Pancho's is one of the few restaurants I missed while living in Marysville.




Papa and Nina bought Drew his own big boy bike this year for his birthday. He hasn't mastered the art of peddling yet, but hey, he's only three!



A few days later we hosted a party for him at our house. Drew insisted the theme be "worms." You can imagine how ecstatic I was when I walked into the balloon shop and found the worm pinata (I don't know how to get the tilde). I truly believe I would have started a fight if someone else would have wanted to buy it.

My sister and I worked very hard on this crazy worm sandwich. Mmmmm...






Andrea and I were so excited about creating these cupcakes. Here's the secret: bake the cupcakes, fill them with pudding, stick the worm in then sprinkle cookie crumbs on top. It's amazing what we do to accommodate my children's birthday wishes...



The infamous worm...